1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods of treating pulmonary hypertension in a subject comprising administering to the subject a therapeutically effective dose of at least one anthracycline.
2. Background of the Invention
Pulmonary hypertension is a devastating disease without cure. The mean survival of patients with pulmonary hypertension is only a few years. The major problem of this disease is the progressive thickening of pulmonary vascular walls due to abnormal increase in the number of vascular cells, including pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells. The thickened vascular wall results in reduced lumen size, thus increasing pulmonary vascular resistance and placing a strain on the right heart ventricle, ultimately leading to right heart failure. The currently approved drugs are largely vasodilators, and their actions on the structure of the pulmonary vascular wall are limited. Furthermore, by the time patients are diagnosed as having pulmonary hypertension, vascular wall thickening has already developed. Thus, regressing thickened pulmonary vascular wall by eliminating excess vascular cells could be a better strategy to treat and possibly cure pulmonary hypertension than using vasodilators.